Monthly Archives: September 2014

I love the small details in design. From the stitching on a garment, the hidden fixings on an object, the branding placement, the shadow gaps between walls and floor, to the props used on a back bar display. It’s all the small details that really help convey the object’s/wearer’s/place’s personality, and they’re not something that you necessarily appreciate at first glance, which makes them all the better when you do notice them.

Back in the summer, a friend and I went to the ‘Return of the Rude Boy’ exhibition at Somerset House. Now, I must admit, I didn’t know what a Rude Boy was (!!!) but absolutely loved the photographs and garments on display. The stylistic lengths these boys (and girl!) go to is just amazing. It’s all about the sharpness of suit, the shine on the shoes, and yep, the small details unique to their outfit…..

Love Dexter de Leadnus’ pin

Outlaw Now Here/Outlaw Nowhere? You decide.

Natty Bo

Bevan Agyemang & Macharia Brian Gathii

Gary Powell- turned up trousers with acid yellow socks. Check out the shoes.

Love the text printed on the tassels, and the background colour change on the badges.

Trouser brace strapping detail, and embossed leather tag on the Sunday Best box.

Open leather suitcase totems were a clever and appropriate way to display more Rudie photographs….

Exhibition detailing

Unfortunately the exhibition has finished now, but you can find out more information about it here or on the Somerset House website. The exhibition was put together by Dean Chalkley (all photographs feat. in this post were taken by Dean) and Harris Elliot.

Like this:

So it’s been a while (7 months…eeek!) since my last blog, and time has certainly flown by! From having manic Monday to Fridays freelancing on a variety of exciting design projects from; window schemes, festival and touring pop-ups, and large scale conferences, and then spending the majority of summer weekends in various fields listening to music, blogging did go on the back burner…but now I’m back! Thought I would get the ball rolling again with a trip down to Top Drawer and Home to check out the new homewares and gifts that are likely to be making their way to the High Street and online retailers soon.

BOLD BIRDS & BOTANICALS

Plants and animals are always popular, but at this Top Drawer and Home, I noticed a definite swing more towards birds (a lot of cockatoos around!) and tropical plants.1. Melamine Plates- RICE
The vintage bird prints on the melamine plates have a kitsch element to them which is probably why I like them. Rice has also printed the birds onto latte cups, coasters and cushions.2. Magpie Lampshade- GEORGIA WILKINSON DESIGN
Georgia’s magpie design, available in 4 background colours, is simple, eye catching, and one of her most popular designs. Georgia launched a seagull design and prawn design (which I also love!) at Top Drawer this weekend.3. Cushions- TATTERSFIELD DESIGNS
Jane Tattersfield created these bright cushion covers by scanning in her original oil paintings, and then creating a repeat pattern from there. The strong colours and patterns are great if you’re looking for an accent cushion.4. ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’ Print- RIFLE PAPER COMPANY
I like the sunny yellow background and slightly retro feel to this print by Rifle Paper Company.5. Leafy Monstera Notebook- KITH & KIN
The Leafy Monstera pattern reminds me of Victorian botanical drawings, but the clean white background and colour blocked background shadows give it a contemporary feel. As well as on notebooks, the pattern is also available on cushions, fabric baskets and wrapping paper.6. Toco Toucan Cushion- KITH & KIN
Ok, so I couldn’t choose between Kith & Kin’s Leafy Monstera pattern and this brilliant Toco Toucan Cushion, so I’ve included them both. Again, it’s that more traditional depiction of the toucan that I love, especially with the surrounding vibrant flowers.

PATTERNED NEUTRALS

Neutral coloured homewares with simple toned down patterns are a key trend in the show, especially in dusky pink hues. I really liked how within some collections, the designers have created patterns through texture, and played around with contrasting finishes so matte finish objects sit alongside satin or gloss finish objects.

1. Blanket- HOUSE OF RYM
I loved the majority of this Swedish Tunisian collection from the geometric blanket shown above, to their mix and match patterned wall tiles and porcelain tableware.2. Fabrics- NANCY STRAUGHAN
Nancy’s printed organic cotton fabric designs, created by manipulating her photographs of textures, are beautiful. The fabrics can either be bought by the metre, or she has a range of various items such as cushions, kitchen towels, wash bags, notebooks, which can also be purchased from her website. The fabrics shown above from top to bottom are Goldie (a new edition to her collection), Cross (my favourite!), and Escher, but many more can be found on her website.3. Aged Fat Mug- DASSIE ARTISAN
This was the first time I had seen any Dassie Artisan pieces and I was really impressed. They import, retail and wholesale eco-friendly homewares and gifts which have been handcrafted by artisans in Southern Africa. As everything is handmade, no two items are identical, which works really well for the designs within the collections. I love the irregular bobbled texture of this mug.4. Enamel Tableware Set- DASSIE ARTISAN
Dassie Artisan again! Enamel coated tableware is really popular at the minute, but I like how the pale blue band of zig zags gives this set a little something extra without being too over the top and taking away from the imperfect enamel finish.

I couldn’t end this blog without sharing perhaps my most favourite product in the entire show….a glitter winged Pug Christmas Tree topper from Garudio Studiage. Just amazing! Enjoy!